I have to admit that the first time I went on a solo motorcycle trip it was only 100 miles away from home. It was a pretty big deal to me and I packed my saddle bags full!
Eventually, I added a sissy bar and bought big luggage to attach to the sissy bar and had tons of room for all the stuff I would possibly need for any situation. I was ready for anything.
My solo bike rides got longer, my longest being 1005 miles in 4 days. From Medford, Oregon up the coast, then to Portland, Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam, Columbia Gorge to The Dalles, a dip into Washington to see Stonehenge, south to Bend then home to Medford. It was a fabulous ride!! There have been several 1000+ mile rides since then.
After each ride, I would bring more stuff and when I unpacked I found that I had unused items, sometimes lots of unused items. Oh my goodness, what kind of princess am I? I decided to try to bring less on each ride and perhaps I would have room in my bags to buy souvenirs!
I have a new bike now. My big trips are still around 1000 miles. I now have one full bag, one empty one to take off chaps etc. if needed and I still put my sissy bar on for overnight rides so I can take my bike cover. And now all my personal items fit in a bike helmet cover. That's right. All I need for a 1000 mile, 4 day motorcycle ride will fit in a bike helmet cover (I bet you wondered what those were for!) with room to spare!
Here are the items I bring, and my theory behind them.
Neck cozie - keeps your neck warm, or cool (wet) and prevents sunburn on your neck.
Jacket, Chaps, Gloves, Boots - no need to explain
Tire guage/extender- Checking my tire pressure is hard without the little extender I got.
Sena unit - as a communicator or just to listen to music, my Sena unit has great sound.
Sweatshirt/packjacket - depending on weather, I might need a sweatshirt in the morning. A pack jacket is a windbreaker or rain jacket which also depends on weather. Definitely something I have to consider now that I live near Salem, Oregon. I don't ever plan on riding in the rain - but when you ask for vacation days perhaps months in advance, you can't plan weather. I've ridden over a mountain pass in rain/snow/hail during a freak storm in Northern California and had to ride 200 miles in freezing rain on a trip in Arizona for the same reason.
Bike lock - I have a caliper lock. If bad people want your bike bad enough, they are going to take it, but hopefully the bike lock will make mine a less desirable target. Don't forget your orange lock reminder.
Bike cover- My first trip with the girls, I didn't have a cover (who needs a cover?) and it rained overnight. In the morning my seat was soaking wet and I had to ride home sitting on a garbage bag to keep my butt dry!
Garbage bag - as a seat cover or makeshift rain pants, I'm ready!
Check oil, Check tire pressure - A safety check I always do, especially before a long ride.
Wells Fargo bag- This is a money bag I got from my bank but I use it to put a bunch of miscellaneous small stuff it it. It is always ready to grab and go. It holds zip ties, bungee cords, a lighter, flashlight, pocket knife, spare fob battery, sunscreen, scissors, tweezers, chapstick, tape, bike meds and a trashbag.
As a nurse, people come to me when they don't feel well. I carry emergency medications such as aspirin, motrin and benadryl, and if you get a splinter - I'm your girl. I also have a tiny emergency kit with bandaids, tape and other small medical things. You may be more of a mechanical person so you might carry spare tools.
Personal items
Wallet - drivers license, credit cards, insurance card
Camera/charger- I do love photos
Phone/charger, Toothbrush/toothpaste - no need to explain these
Sox/underwear- I bring one of each, for each day.
Sandals/tennis shoes- depends where I'm going and how much walking I plan on.
Nightshirt/lounge pants - for relaxing after the ride
Swim suit - the hotel might have a pool or jacuzzi.
Jeans- wear one pair, bring one spare.
Long sleeve shirt - nice for cool mornings.
Short sleeve shirt- I bring two.
Medication - if you are young and don't need medication - remember that age can't be avoided, so keep this on your list.
Cash - on the road, there are still some places that don't take credit cards.
I don't camp. I did once. I laid awake all night with bugs literally crawling all over me. They were ticks and I got Lyme disease. I now stay in hotels. NOT super cheep ones, this is vacation time after all and I want to be comfortable. Plus, cheep hotels are generally in kinda sketchy areas and I want me and my bike are safe.
Road hints if you stay in a hotel - the heater in the room can dry out your clothes, just don't put your leathers directly on the heater. A quick dry may shrink leathers. The hotel will sometimes let you use the dryer for your clothes.
If your jeans are stinky but clean you can put them in the freezer overnight and this removes the smell. On a long trip, consider bringing a tide pod or two and ask to use the hotel washing machine.
After ride cocktails - depending on your destination, you may be miles from a liquor store (and a lot of miles away in a dry county). A flask is easy to carry in your luggage and mixers are easy to find at gas stations. I usually try to pick hotels with nearby restaurants so I can walk there from the hotel.
So here is the Motorcycle Trip List without all the explanation. Please feel free to copy and paste to a word document for your use. I print one for every trip.
I almost forgot. Don't forget to bring your SMILE. A happy attitude turns a horrible incident (like rain/sleet/snow/flat tire) into an EPIC TRIP. You might not be laughing at your situation at the time but sometimes, the bad crap that happens on a trip are the things that make it memorable!
Remember that trip when we went over Siskiyou Pass in the snow??
Motorcycle Trip List
_____Neck cozie _____Jeans
_____Jacket _____Long sleeve shirt
_____Chaps _____Short sleeve shirt
_____Gloves _____Sox/underwear
_____Boots _____Medication
_____Tire guage/extender _____Cash
_____Sena unit _____Sweatshirt/packjacket
_____Bike lock
_____Bike cover
_____Check oil
_____Check tire pressure
_____Wells Fargo bag
Personal items
_____Wallet
_____Camera/charger
_____Phone/charger
_____Sandals/tennis shoes
_____Nightshirt
_____Toothbrush/toothpaste
_____Swim suit
Wells Fargo Bag: zip ties, bungee cords, lighter, flashlight, pocket knife, battery, sunscreen, scissors, tweezers, chapstick, bike meds, tape, trashbag.
